Liam (Tamaki) has recently revealed to the world that Shovel Knight is potentially coming to Super Smash Brothers as a form of character DLC.

After discussing the rumor with Liam (Tamaki) and Neo Zero (an admin on SmashBoards), the three of us believe there is considerable weight to this rumor. While we cannot go into specific information that has been shared; Liam (Tamaki) does have multiple sources– involved in both retail and the video games industry that back this rumor. The main source behind this is an individual that has been proven as a legitimate source of information. The source is also confident that Shovel Knight is a full playable character, and not a costume or some other form of DLC.

The information about Shovel Knight potentially getting an amiibo was posted by Nintendo Life as they found out that information in their own research.

As of right now, there is no additional information to be shared. We do not know any other characters that are part of DLC. Until it’s fully revealed, or until we find additional information, it’s best to treat this as a RUMOR. There is some reason to believe it, but for now it’s a RUMOR. Please understand, we won’t be able to answer any additional questions at this time. Check Tamaki’s Twitter for additional news.

PushDustIn is now 80% positive this is the real deal. You can follow him on Twitter.

This basically confirms that Nintendo is publishing Shovel Knight in Japan. As only Nintendo characters are made into amiibo.

It doesn’t say anything about Smash Bros., but this may be a mockup. We will have to see what the final image looks like.

8/29 EDIT: Okay, so that was the final version. While the original rumor had nothing to do with the Shovel Knight amiibo, by confidence in the rumor has dropped. I’d say I’m 60%-70% confident in it now.

If it’s true, this is incredibly unfair for the people who have been doing campaign for their favourite Nintendo characters during a long time ago (King K Rool, Ridley Isaac, Krystal…) and have been defeated by a fad which have the casual social network in this favour (which also probably doesn’t have any games of Smash -_-‘).

Hydewellon August 27|

Regardless of how you feel about Shovel Knight’s value, the one thing you cannot say is that he’s the product of a broad, “casual” audience. The only Smash players who are likely playing indie games (and voting for him) are as “hardcore” as you can get, and the popularity of indie characters in the ballot – at least those from games on Nintendo consoles, so I’m not counting Steve or Meat Boy – has been entirely from the company’s most committed consumers. Demonizing the fans of what you don’t want as “not real” fans can’t work in this case, because they’re the only people who are actually familiar with him (though to be honest, you could really say the same about Ridley or Isaac).

In fact, I think it’s safe to say that him being more popular among a general audience would make him a better choice; assuming he actually is a fighter, his game is by far the lowest selling franchise with a playable character.

Wolfman_Jon August 27|

Acutally Shovel Knight has (over the summer) broken well past 700k in sales (which are only in the west) which places it higher than (again, in the west) any Fire Emblem game (including the insanely popular Awakening), any Xenoblade game (AGAIN, in the west), and even almost as many (and will likely surpass very soon) the total western sales of Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. These are just a couple examples off the top of my head that I googled, I’m sure it has outsold and/or will outsell several other Smash Bros representatives as well.

I think it’s fair to say that if this rumor comes to fruition Shovel Knight will surpass many more franchises in sales.

HONYon August 27|

Well, the 700k is only from Nintendo systems or it’s in general? I know it’s a popular game and it’s pretty good (probably I’m gonna buy it someday), but you can’t compare when :
a) the game costs…15€ (yes, I’m from Europe >_>) which the others costs the double (FE:A) or the triple (Xenoblade)
b) don’t require a physical merchadising while Xenoblade was TERRIBLE in this aspect (with having abusive prices in USA (and also exclusive in one store in the whole country) and being out of stock in various countries in Europe).
c) In case it is the total sold, well, the game is in the 3 main consoles and Steam (which doesn’t detract the amazing amount of sales).

PD: You forgot the franchise which less games has sold: Mother.

Hydewellon August 27|

Well, remember the game it’s multiplatform. It wouldn’t be strange that people who have buy this game (but doesn’t have a Nintendo hardware) vote for his inclusion because they thinks he deserved it and the company ask for some votes.

I don’t understand why people thinks the ballot is only known for people who follow the game. At least when it was announced, HERE (in Spain) was in the portal of every famous videogame website (except, obviously, the ones that doesn’t report news of Nintendo). Also, in social networks like twitter was a trendic topic. So, being a game a lot people love, I don’t find strange that people who doesn’t have a Smash game but have played Shovel Knight and followed his twitter account have voted it for his inclusion. It only takes 1 minute to vote.

Hydewellon August 27|

Shovel Knight would be cool… but yeah, I would feel bad for the other fanbases… WHERE IS BANDANA DEE?!

Thank you for sharing, PushDustIn. I sometimes randomly do searches about Smash Bros. DLC to see if any news or leaks come up, and I just saw the information first last night.

If rumors of a PAX reveal are true, we should find out tomorrow or some other time this weekend.

And @Hydewell, I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve seen Shovel Knight highly requested. I admit, I never thought he would actually get in, but if an indie character SHOULD get in Smash, I think SK is a pretty good fit.

Indie games are a major part of the industry now, some like Minecraft and Angry Birds reaching (or sometimes exceeding) levels of popularity that AAA publisher series have. Many long-time gamers have grown jaded with large developers and publishers treating video games as a commodity to just churn out and make a buck off of. Indie games hearken back to the days when innovation and fun won over milking franchises and cutting development costs.

Shovel Knight is not only an indie character, but he represents the “moden retro” movement that has been happening for years now too. Many gamers have fond memories of games they played on older systems, and I’ve seen a lot of developers try to capture that nostalgia combined with the natural progressions of modern games. NES is definitely the most popular system I’ve seen emulated, but I’ve seen quite a lot of SNES-style RPGs, random Atari style games, and even some N64 and Dreamcast inspired projects. While indie companies are best known for embodying this movement, other already established publishers like Capcom and Inti Creates have created their own retro-style projects.

Super Smash Bros. MUGEN? Hardly. When Goku is added to the roster, I’ll agree with you.

The indie scene is a current thing in the industry. SK may not be an industry icon with the history a lot of other Smash characters have, but he’s more relevant than K. Rool or Krystal (the former not appearing in any mainline DK games lately, and the latter pretty much being a minor character aside from her first appearance), or even Isaac (whose series’ future is up in the air), and can actually work in Smash unlike Ridley.

I’ve seen SK requested nearly as much as Rool during my time on Miiverse, so it’s not like he’s lagging behind in popularity. And he’s a heckuva better choice than Shantae.

* Note that everything above, aside from the importance of indie games in the state of the industry, is just my opinion and I don’t expect it to be taken as fact. Heck, I was shooting down the “SK for Smash” campaign simply because I thought it wouldn’t happen, but now I’m hoping the rumors are true because of the epiphany I had about everything I shared above.

Well, first at all, sorry for bad grammar, I’m not a native-english speaker so maybe (well, maybe no, I’m sure it will have T-T) there are some mistakes ^^’
I’m not gonna say that Shovel Knight is a bad game only for being indie (for what I heard the game is so good), and also he fits in terms of gameplay, but he doesn’t deserve being in Smash. Why? Because it was a fad. Now you can create a ballot (well, actually two weeks ago (before the rumours)) in any smash site and you can see the votes aaaand Shovel Knight doesn’t appear in the top places. Their votes were the result of doing an “aggresive” campaing in twitter during the first days of the ballot (which was noticed (and indirectly backed) by the social media (at least in my country)) like WayForward (who are being so irritating demanding practically every day more votes for include her in Smash)).
And a one “proof” for this is “Smashboards” itself. The largest community of Smash. And seeing the “support character threads”, his thread is practically non-existent, unlike the top and middle candidates. For this, I’d assure the support of Shovel Knight doesn’t “belong” to Smash fans, but it would be more “casual fans” who even haven’t a Smash game (and I know and I read a bunch of them).
Also, being the “indie representative” for Smash? Sorry, I doubted it. First at all, Shovel Knight only have ONE year. Their two big competitors (Shantae & Quote) are many years older.
Second, has Shovel Knight contributed in some way to Nintendo? No, it doesn’t. Also, unlike its Microsoft and Sony versions (battle against a Battletoad and Kratos), its version Nintendo doesn’t have any exclusivity in Nintendo platforms. In this fact, Shantae and Quote are better than him: there are EXCLUSIVES games for Nintendo hardwares.
And finally… Is Shovel Knight an icon to be an “exception” for being in Smash? Nowadays, it’s difficult to define, like Shantae, because of their popularity. The time will tell it. But there is one character who is seen a “dad” in idie games: Quote from Cave Story.
—————————————————————————————
Aaand, the last statement, the comparison with characters like K Rool or Krystal. It can’t be compared, sorry, Firstly, because they are nintendo characters. Secondly, because it’s been a while since they were created. Who does say that Shovel Knight in 5 years are gonna be known? The best example precisely is Cave Story, a game which was extremely popular in its time and now few people remember it.

Well, maybe with the statement of Smash Bros. Mugen I exagerated a bit. But having an Indie character (who is not nearly iconic as the 3rd parties in the game) in the roster would open the doors for every video game character. And they count on “one thing” that Nintendo characters doesn’t count: a definite and well-known representative, the company itselfs, who can mobilize their followers.

PD: And again, sorry for mistakes T-T (And the long text, also)

Hydewellon August 27|

I’m pretty sure “who deserves to be in Smash” is pretty much opinion, especially since we’re at the point of DLC. Also, “unnoficial ballots,” especially in places like Smash Boards, are only a small sample of the population. I often mention trends from Miiverse because, while still just a sample of the population, anybody with a 3DS or Wii U and an internet connection can access it. I feel Miiverse may lean a little more toward the “average” user than somewhere dedicated to Smash.

And when speaking of DLC, you have to go with what will sell the most. Even though the DLC is “fan service,” people still need to buy it to recoup the cost. Making DLC is not free, and Sakurai’s team needs compensation for their hard work. If Shovel Knight DLC is going to sell more than K. Rool, Krystal, or anyone else, it’s obvious from a business standpoint that they’ll release Shovel Knight as DLC. Of course, I’m not saying SK IS more requested than anyone else, mind you. Also, if, hypothetically, let’s say K. Rool was the most popular, Krystal was after, and SK was third, if Sakurai couldn’t figure out a way to implement Rool or Krystal in Smash that adds anything worthwhile, but could with SK, he would obviously go with SK. It’s both about making the character work and making the character sell.

Also, I don’t think comparing SK to established Nintendo characters is wrong. Compared to Mario or Link? Of course not, but many of the top requested characters are either second bananas (Krystal, Bandana Dee) or a bit lacking in relevancy (K. Rool, Isaac.) If SK is on a Nintendo system and is relevant, I think it’s a fair comparison. Obviously, if he’s getting his own Amiibo, Smash series or not, he’s leaps and bounds above Shantae or Quote. Heck, he’s even got a leg up on other third-party characters who wouldn’t have Amiibos if it weren’t for Smash.

And “not contributing to Nintendo” hasn’t stopped Snake or Pac-Man from getting in. Arguably, the only third-parties that HAVE contributed anything were almost all of Mega Man’s franchise, the SNES version of Street Fighter II for Ryu, and Sega’s rivalry with Nintendo for Sonic (which wasn’t necessarily contributing in a positive way.)

Again, aside from what I said about DLC, this is all opinion and speculation not just on my part, but on everyone’s. And if what Istry555 mentioned is true, about SK turning out NOT to be a Smash character, then this whole argument is irrelevant anyway.

The Smash Ballot isn’t a real voting system. It is a suggestion box, meaning that the character who gets the most votes wont necessarily be included in as DLC. If Shovel Knight truly is the next DLC fighter, he was chosen for reasons beyond popularity on the Ballot. There had to have been something about him and his game that resonated with Sakurai.

the101on August 28|

Sorry. I think this has been debunked. You’re retail sources likely knew about the Shovel Knight amiibo and mistakenly assumed it was in the Smash line (this would have also made him a full character and not a costume). However, the Shovel Knight amiibo has recently been announced and it is not part of the Smash line amiibos. I also highly doubt they would make two Shovel Knight amiibos (if Nintendo had plans for Shovel Knight in Smash they would have released the initial amiibo under the Smash brand).

Istry555on August 27|

Didn’t you read the end part? The box artwork could be a mockup made so that they can show off the amiibo before Shovel Knight gets announced for Smash (potentially).

the101on August 28|

As of last night, that literally is the “final image”. What you see is what you’re going to get when the amiibo goes on sale (barring minor design changes for cost or safety reason). And this design would never be intended for Smash due to its target game having read/write compatibility–not unlike the Mario series amiibo.

Igiulawon August 28|

Has anyone from Japan reacted to those rumours?

Aron August 29|

Yes, in fact, I’ve been posting some of those reactions in Smashboards earlier.

The first reaction for everyone is “What’s a shovel knight?” “Anyone here who knows shovel knight?” “I don’t think there’s anyone here who knows shovel knight is” “He’s already in the game as Zelda’s Down B”. Then there are those trying to research and find out that Shovel Knight is an Indie game.

Then the next reactions are “Are they seriously releasing someone popular only in the West?” “Localize the game here already” “This game is doomed” “Nintendo shouldn’t even listen to the Western audience in the first place” etc.

Or in short: They are not happy at all.

Logoon August 29|

Is this how the Japanese usually react to stuff like this? I mean, as far as we know now, SK is only an Amiibo, he’s not in Smash… I can only imagine the shite-storm that would happen if SK were to be DLC. And I know Nintendo is a Japanese company, but Japan makes up only a fraction of their market.

But in all fairness, I’m sure the news about it being localized there not being very widespread probably isn’t helping matters either.

Are there any positive comments? Even from those who don’t know who SK is?

Not entirely sure, but pretty sure the “This game is doomed” (オワブラ, #77) thing is quite commonly used when Sakurai does something terrible, like the K Rool costume.

That one who flat out said “Nintendo should ignore Western customers” (#81) is basically someone raging too hard or something. They’ve always held the belief of the ballot leaning towards the West, and this news isn’t helping much either.

And the fact that this whole reaction came from the rumor itself, not the amiibo. Some do find out it’s just an amiibo (#24, #42, #73), but they do think this is a big thing (?, #45), and that Indies don’t really deserve a rep (#38), and even Touhou would be possible if this happens (#44).

So far I’ve only found one user saying something positive (about the game), but it’s only about the game, not his inclusion afaik (#90)

Then there are those who went out and talked about Shantae (#14, #16, #30, #32 etc), which… some talked about how she would’ve been in if Shovel Knight is possible.

Also there’s an extra picture that randomly appeared (#103) that seems to shows Shovel Knight in game, not sure what’s happening, but it’s very late in the thread as of now so I can’t judge. There’s one comment (#105) that says it’s likely just a modded Brawl, since one of the picture had the exact effect as in Brawl.